[After John Hancock 1737-1793. American politician and Revolutionaryleader. He was president of the Continental Congress (1775-1777) and thefirst to sign the Declaration of Independence. Hancock later served nineterms as governor of Massachusetts (1780-1785 and 1787-1793). (From theprominence of his signature on the Declaration of Independence).]

Few of us remember the courage it took to sign the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock knew the danger, and his signing his name in large letters put him at added risk.From the Internet:Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

Few of us remember the courage it took to sign the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock knew the danger, and his signing his name in large letters put him at added risk.From the Internet:Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

That's OK, Dr. Bill. You can cling to your glurge, don't let the fact that it is only tangentially related to the actual history put you off. For those of us who like to learn whether things are really so, snopes will continue to be a valuable resource.

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